Official Statistics Flashcards
1
Q
What are official statistics?
A
- Quantitative data collected by government agencies or official bodies
- presented in graphs, tables and figures
- important secondary sources for sociologists
2
Q
Why do sociologists use official statistics?
A
- often easily and readily available
- allow researchers to consider social changes that have taken place over time
- make comparisons both nationally and internationally
3
Q
What is wrong with the use of official statistics?
A
- they have not been collected for sociological purpose
- variables the sociologists may be interested might not have been recorded
- interpretivists argue that the construction of statistics is a social process
4
Q
What are the practical strengths of official statistics?
A
- shows trends and patterns
- easily accessible
- allows comparisons
5
Q
What are the practical weaknesses of official statistics?
A
- cannot tell us ‘why’
- not collected for sociologists
- social constructions
6
Q
What are the ethical strengths of official statistics?
A
- no personal data used
- all anonymous
7
Q
What are the ethical weaknesses of official statistics?
A
- might not tell whole story
- serves capitalism
- masculine research methods
8
Q
What are the theoretical strengths of official statistics?
A
- representative
- large amount of data produced
- reliable
9
Q
What are the theoretical weaknesses of official statistics?
A
- lack validity
- may change over time
